Where to Start with Hilton Carter
Hilton Carter is a plant stylist, filmmaker, and fine artist whose love for houseplants started with a single fiddle-leaf fig named Frank. What began as a practical solution to avoiding curtains in his New Orleans apartment grew into an obsession that filled his home with over 200 plants and turned him into one of the most recognizable voices in the indoor plant community. His books blend care knowledge with a strong design sensibility, showing readers not just how to keep plants alive but how to make them look spectacular in a living space. He has collaborated with major brands and his plant-filled interiors have been featured in publications worldwide.
Start here
Wild at Home
Hilton Carter · 144 pages · 2019 · Easy
Themes: plant styling, interior design, plant care basics, home decoration, visual inspiration
Carter’s first book and the perfect introduction to his approach. Wild at Home takes you on a tour through his plant-filled spaces, sharing both the practical knowledge and the design philosophy that transformed his apartment into an indoor garden that went viral.
Why Start Here
This is Carter’s most focused and personal book. It covers everything a new plant parent needs: how to choose the right plant for your space, how to pot and repot, basic propagation, and fundamental care. But what sets it apart is the design perspective. Carter thinks about plants the way an interior designer thinks about furniture: where to place them for maximum visual impact, how to group different species, how to use hanging plants and trailing vines to add dimension to a room.
His follow-up books, Wild Interiors and Wild Creations, expand on different aspects of plant styling, but Wild at Home is where it all started and where the balance between care and aesthetics is most accessible. At 144 pages, it is a quick, inspiring read that will have you rearranging your shelves before you finish it.
What to Expect
A visual, design-forward guide to living with houseplants. Beautiful photography of real plant-filled interiors. Practical care advice presented alongside styling tips. Short and accessible. Best for readers whose interest in plants is inseparable from their interest in creating a beautiful home.